Viking Costume
A warm costume for a cold halloween
For our first Halloween in Colorado, I wanted to make sure Bambino was warm enough in his costume. He decided to be a Viking which was perfect for a chilly October night.
Materials:
Vintage wool blanket
green and red food coloring
Plaid wool blanket
red unitard (or some kind of under layer)
kilt pin
Viking hat (ours was from Etsy)
2 old leather belts
leather pouch
plastic saucer for a pot
cover plate for a light fixture
I started with a wool blanket that I got for $10. It was dirty and a yellow-cream color. I soaked it in bathtubs full of warm water and Woolite for three days to get it clean (read more about washing vintage linens — this process is great for wool, too). Once it was clean, I sewed a very simple, oversized tunic.
Then I dyed it using green and red food coloring. I put it in a giant soup pot of boiling water, added food coloring, and let the water cool completely. Then I drained the water, rinsed the cloth in cool water, and let it drip dry. This is a costume. I’m not sure how colorfast that dye is, but it worked for the costume and gave a great, mottled, battle-worn effect.
No-sew option: use a large adult-sized tshirt. It won’t be as warm, but perhaps that isn’t a concern where you live!
The sheepskin was the perfect size for Bambino. I just cut a slit to turn it into a cape with an opening for his head.
The belt was made from a random leather strap we had laying around, but you could use an old belt. And I found a leather pouch which I sewed to the strap for his hoarde.
We have had the Viking hat for years, so that wasn’t new. My husband made the shield from the plastic saucer, cover plate, and aluminum foil tape. He used more of that random leather strapping to make hand holds for it. You could use a belt.
Finally, when out trick-or-treating our Viking wore the plaid blanket wrapped as a cloak and held closed with the kilt pin. He was warm and happy all evening!
